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  • 1 Storytelling for engineers
  • 2 Simple: Anchor New Ideas in Existing Knowledge
  • 3 Unexpected: Hook Students with Curiosity Gaps
  • 4 Concrete: Make Lessons Tangible
  • 5 Credibile: Build Trust in Your Lessons
  • 6 Emotional: Tug on Heartstrings
  • 7 Stories: Inspire and Teach Through Narratives

Engineering presentations that stick

storytelling
software engineering
Make your next presentation remarkable
Author

Dominik Lindner

Published

March 23, 2025

As an engineer, it is important to deliver good presentations to a non technical audience

1 Storytelling for engineers

Teaching is an art and science. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath provides powerful strategies to help educators create lessons that students will remember. Let’s unpack some practical ideas from the book in the context of engineering.

2 Simple: Anchor New Ideas in Existing Knowledge

  • Automobile = Horseless Carriage
    Simplify concepts by connecting them to what students already know. Analogies like “Automobile = Horseless Carriage” help students grasp unfamiliar ideas quickly.

  • Generative Analogies
    Use creative comparisons. For instance, mugs as variables explain type-safe programming: A mug (container) can only hold coffee if it’s designed for coffee. Similarly, a variable can only hold data of a specific type.

  • Schemas Simplify Complexity: The Pomelo Schema
    Teach complex ideas by creating schemas. For example, explain that a pomelo is “like a big grapefruit” before adding more details.

  • The Inverted Pyramid: Burying the Lead
    Start lessons with the most important takeaways (the lead) and add details later, mirroring effective journalism.

  • Simplicity, Storytelling, and Sensory Learning
    Strip away jargon and focus on what matters. Use storytelling to engage emotions and sensory details to reinforce memory.

3 Unexpected: Hook Students with Curiosity Gaps

  • The Gap Theory
    Open lessons with a mystery or curiosity gap to ignite interest. Example: “Why don’t Saturn’s rings fall apart?” Engage students by solving the mystery together.

  • Stories Like the San Diego Zoo’s Food-Stealing Pony
    Unexpected anecdotes, like a pony stealing food from visitors, captivate attention and make abstract concepts memorable.

  • Lessons from Nora Ephron’s Journalism Teacher
    Ephron’s teacher taught storytelling by asking students to focus on what really matters. (Headline: “Governor’s Press Secretary Says No School Next Thursday.”)

4 Concrete: Make Lessons Tangible

  • Teaching Functions with Crickets
    Instead of abstract math problems, use relatable examples like counting cricket chirps to estimate temperature. Students understand faster when lessons are grounded in the real world.

  • The Velcro Theory of Memory
    Facts stick when they’re tied to vivid sensory or emotional experiences. Use concrete objects, stories, or metaphors in lessons.

  • Role-playing
    Elliott’s “Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes” exercise made abstract concepts like discrimination tangible for elementary students. Role-playing fosters empathy and deep learning.

5 Credibile: Build Trust in Your Lessons

  • The NBA and AIDS Education
    Students trusted AIDS education campaigns endorsed by NBA players because credible messengers shared the message. Invite relatable figures to reinforce important lessons.

  • The Bacteria-Drinking Scientist
    A scientist proving his theory by drinking bacteria emphasizes conviction and credibility. Use demonstrations to drive home your point.

  • The Human Scale Principle
    Teach big numbers (like population growth) by relating them to human experiences. For example, “If the world were a village of 100 people…” makes statistics meaningful.

6 Emotional: Tug on Heartstrings

  • The Dilution of Sportsmanship
    Use real-life examples, like fading sportsmanship, to connect lessons to values students care about.

  • Why Study Algebra?
    Answer students’ existential “why” questions with relatable, inspiring examples that connect the subject to real-life applications.

  • Voters Who Vote Against Self-Interest
    Discussing surprising human behaviors fosters deep thinking and emotional engagement.

7 Stories: Inspire and Teach Through Narratives

  • Stories as Flight Simulators
    Stories allow students to mentally rehearse scenarios, just as pilots train with flight simulators. Use case studies, role plays, and simulations to build real-world skills.

  • The Three Inspiring Story Types

    • Challenge Stories: Overcoming obstacles (e.g., “The Wright Brothers’ First Flight”).
    • Connection Stories: Building relationships (e.g., teamwork in the NBA).
    • Creativity Stories: Innovating solutions (e.g., Velcro’s invention).


© 2025 by Dr. Dominik Lindner
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